The national government has authorized the "temporary importation" of raw whole hides of alligators and caimans to take advantage of Argentina's "significant technical capacity for tanning, finishing and manufacturing of products" and to export them.
By General Resolution 134/2019 of the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development, published this Wednesday (3.3.2019) in the Official Gazette, the exception of the import ban established by a 1991 regulation of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to raw whole hides of the species Caiman Crocodilus and Caiman Yacare that meet certain criteria was established.
The regulations state that "the exceptions provided will be valid for a period of one year." and that "the entry of the aforementioned products into the country will only be authorized on a temporary basis, and their commercialization within the national territory will not be permitted."
It indicates that "in Argentina, a significant technical capacity has been developed for the tanning, finishing and production of products and by-products of the species of the Caiman genus, which today quantitatively exceeds the production capacity of leather by the Yacarés Ranching Stations. registered in the Records of the National Directorate of Biodiversity."
He also stressed that "the international market demand for crocodile skins requires supplying only with minimum and regular volumes of this product, which exceed the current production capacity of the establishments existing in the country and in particular those with low breeding building capacity."
In Argentina, the species Caiman yacare and Caiman crocodilus inhabit areas close to the waterways of Chaco, Formosa, Salta, Corrientes, Santa Fe and Misiones, although they can sometimes be seen in Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires due to flooding of rivers and streams.
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